Camden Clock Chasers

​Outdoor Season Ends with an ‘Experience of a Lifetime’ at Junior OlympicsCamden Clock Chasers’ First JO Appearance Displays Both Progress & Promise

Norfolk, VA – The Camden Clock Chasers’ (C3) first appearance at the AAU Junior Olympic Games resulted in nine athletes finishing in the Top 20 in the nation in their respective age groups and two earning All-American status.

History was made Sunday when C3’s Irrian Watson placed 5th in the 3000M Race Walk in the 14year old Boys Division. Watson sped thru the near 8 laps in 20:36 achieving the first podium trip ever for C3 at a Junior Olympics.

Karon Brookins also achieved All-American status twice during the competition, in the extremely competitive 100M and 200M. Brookins, who is 8 years old, ran in the initial qualifiers on Monday, the semi-finals on Wednesday and the Finals on Saturday. The Boys 8 & Under Division started out with 89 athletes in the 100M and 97 in the 200M. In the end, Brookins finished 8th in the 200M and 6th in the 100M. While at the JOs, he also set two personal records, blazing the 100M in 14.27 and the 200M in 29.62.

The Clock Chasers had two other athletes who placed in the Top 15. Elijah Jennings, who is 10 years old, placed 10th overall in the 200M with a time of 13.36 out of 83 qualifiers. Ladanian McGrath (9B) took 13th overall in the 800M with a time of 2:41, and 15th overall in the 1500M at 5:26.8.

C3 had 25 athletes qualify for the Junior Olympics and many of their athletes achieved personal bests in their individual events. The team is also heavy with young athletes. Out of the 25 qualifiers, 17 are under the age of 13. With a young base, the team looks forward to growing and training thru future seasons. The AAU Junior Olympics in Norfolk served as the culmination of outdoor track season for clubs nationwide. The competition was fierce as more than 12,000 track & field athletes competed & qualified from across the country. The Camden Clock Chasers made their presence felt this year and look forward to working toward next year’s JOs, set to be held in Houston, TX, August 2016.

C3 is a non-profit organization that provides their athletes conditioning, training and academic support thru Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Seasons. Funding to cover team expenses is always needed and welcomed. If you would like to find out more about how you can help the Clock Chasers stay “on track”, please contact Head Coach Lavar Edwards or Development Coordinator Jane Donohue for more information at CamdenClockChasers@yahoo.com.